The ultimate research goal of the Morehouse School of Medicine is to achieve a level of biomedical research capability, and productivity that is equal to that of any medical institution. Toward that goal, funds are requested in this five year renewal application with the overall topic of: "Tissue Protection and Reparative Mechanisms". In this application we plan to (1) consolidate research core activities into groupings encompassing similar technologies, and build new technologies within the reorganized cores that will allow MSM to move ahead in its goal of building a research intense environment. These cores will: (2) foster development of research focus areas falling under the umbrella of our application topic at MSM, which cross basic science and clinical disciplines, and are appropriate to the school's mission. This will be accomplished through funding technical salaries and limited non-personnel support for (a) the development of collaborative research activities in four research areas: Cancer, Infectious Diseases, Reproductive Biology, and Vascular Biology; and (b) development of faculty infrastructure through the development of research programs through these individual research projects for new or junior faculty members. We also plan to fund a second set of developmental applications (one or two) during Years 3-5 of this application cycle, and we envision establishing an annual Research Symposium at MSM focused each year on a different research area falling under our research topic. (3) Finally, we plan to extend our current AIDS Nef Pathogenesis research team, and expand our AIDS focus area, through recruitment of postdoctoral candidates, and enhancing their careers through a comprehensive developmental program. Simultaneously, we will establish the organizational structure necessary to enhance the research and the funding of the pathogenesis group. Achievement of these several objectives will move Morehouse School of Medicine to a new plateau of biomedical research excellence, and make substantial contributions to the fight against AIDS and other diseases that affect underserved populations.